O.J. Show Becomes Family Feud Simpson And Goldman Families Vent Their Anger Outside Courtroom

Emotions at the O.J. Simpson trial erupted Thursday into a duel between the families of Simpson and of one of the victims, Ronald Goldman.

It began during a morning break when Frederic Goldman, the victim’s father, seething over defense lawyer Johnnie Cochran’s rousing closing speech and allegations of racism against the Los Angeles Police Department, unleashed a personal attack on Cochran, calling him a “sick man” and the “worst kind of human being possible.”

His comments so angered Simpson’s relatives that they broke their 15-month silence and, without targeting him directly, criticized the family for making a personal attack on Cochran and spoke emotionally about what they have endured as a family since Simpson’s arrest.

Simpson’s sisters, Carmelita Durio and Shirley Baker, said that since Simpson’s arrest they had been constantly confronted with pointing fingers and accusations against their brother.

“The lies have been slapping us in the face,” Durio said. “But now, the attorneys are telling my brother’s story … It’s very shocking that once Johnnie gets up … it has rocked somebody’s boat.”

Saying they sympathized with the Goldman family, Durio said the Simpsons have grieved, too. “Nicole Brown was a part of our family, and we loved her very deeply,” she said. “We sit in that courtroom and we see pictures of Nicole, and it hurts.”

Each morning in the courthouse hallway, the Simpsons and Browns embrace and talk about 9-year-old Sydney and 6-year-old Justin, Simpson’s children who are living with their mother’s parents. Told about the dueling statements Thursday, Nicole Brown Simpson’s youngest sister, Tanya, said she agreed with the Simpsons.

“It hurts us when we hear the prosecution say things about our loved one,” Baker said. “It hurts us. We do not like it, but we do not come down here and attack them personally. The prosecution is doing their job. Now it’s the defense time.”